Kevin Haskin: A moment with Mangino

MIAMI — A field-level view Saturday at Sun Life Stadium was the ultimate spot to watch Kansas State cap an upset.

The hitting offers a crisp thud, plays are called with nervous anxiety and celebrations are truly life-like.

It was good to be there, particularly when I was lucky enough to have an old ball coach provide some commentary.

Not so old, really. The day will come when Mark Mangino will return to coaching. For now, however, he is at peace living in Naples, Fla., taking in football whenever possible.

This was the first time I had seen or talked to Mangino since he was left to twist in the wind at Kansas.

Dressed in neutral garb he could have been wearing on his deck, the presence of Mangino on the K-State sideline wasn’t surprising. He reacquainted himself with former coaching colleagues and former Wildcats.

Mangino, remember, got his major-college start with K-State, where he was a full-time assistant from 1994-98.

Chris Dawson was the one who insisted that Mangino come.

Back when KU built its football complex adjacent to Memorial Stadium, Dawson was the strength coach who helped design the new weight room, then administered workouts at the universal stations.

Now that he is at K-State, Dawson’s value should not be ignored. Although the Miami sauna left some Wildcats “in agony,’’ to quote K-State coach Bill Snyder, their conditioning helped deliver a goal-line stand inside the final minute to preserve the 28-24 victory.

Not long after the outcome was decided, Dawson delighted in the win with Mangino.

Mo Latimore stopped by. So did Sean Snyder. Former Wildcats who were on the sideline, including Eric Gallon and Jaime Mendez, engaged in conversation earlier. Mike Hickson and Eric Lawrence did too, but then they visited Mangino’s Florida home for a cookout earlier this summer.

Coaching is a career that can take someone a lot of places, create a flood of memories and build fire-proof bridges.

Yeah, I eventually said something about how the whole thing went down at KU, drawing a smile from Mangino and, predictably, ‘‘no comment.’’

But we also spoke of family. Talked about our grandkids. Touched on the strength of the Jayhawk Juco Conference. Mangino’s son, Tommy is involved as an assistant for Hutchinson, which prompts Mark to take in some games at that level. Conference realignment, of course, got mentioned too.

As the clock ticked down, though, we couldn’t help but talk football.

“You don’t want to give the ball back too early here if you’re Miami,’’ Mangino said. “Bill Snyder can dial in the two-minute drill as well as any coach in America.’’

Sure enough, Miami stuck to the ground on the last three plays it ran. But the Hurricanes never scored. The ball was turned over on downs and K-State ran out the clock.

By then, Mangino was dialed in himself. He watched the video board as Snyder went to the goal line to debate the touchdown that was initially called on a fourth-down carry by Miami’s Jacory Harris. Then Mangino tapped me to make sure I watched the whole replay, which clearly showed the stop by K-State’s Tre Walker.

“Whatcha you got?’’ Lawrence yelled during the booth review.

“Knee down,’’ Mangino replied.

He was again involved in his sport. Being alongside made the finish even more fun and convinced me Mangino will be back.

“I will. I’m just waiting for the opportunity,’’ he said.

How soon the right job comes along, I don’t know. But some program will take that chance. The man coached eight seasons at Kansas and sported a winning record. Took the Jayhawks to the Orange Bowl and beat Virginia Tech.

Questions will be asked about the allegations of abusive behavior that eventually drove Mangino out at KU yet were never resolved publicly. Any coaching interview will broach alleged incidents. Mangino will have to explain himself, perhaps show contrition and probably vow to behave. But I sense that he could really make good on “the opportunity’’ presented.

The victory stand where the KU team reveled in its Orange Bowl win was erected at about the same spot we stood Saturday. It felt right seeing Mangino there again.

Kevin Haskin can be reached at (785) 295-1159 or kevin.haskin@cjonline.com.

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Like you, I was upset when he went to KU, but I was also upset when they gave him the shaft.Someone upstairs had a personal beef with him, most likely that upstanding AD Sweet Lou Perkins. He will find a new home when he is ready to go back to coaching.

There were already three articles about the game. The game, as great as it was, is over. It is time to move on and be thinking about the conference schedule. An article about Mangino doesn't take anything away from the win.

Mangino actually credited Snyder personally, even after he took a 64-0 beating by him in the 2002 game. They shook hands at midfield after the game and Mangino told Snyder he was really proud of what he had done at K-State and that he admired him.

I met Mangino personally twice. He was nice to me because I was a fan complimenting his work at KU but I also knew one of the player's parents at the time who described the other side of the man. He was a no-nonsense, my way or the highway type of coach. That worked in helping build KU into a winner.

Unfortunately, he also did not capitalize on the success of the Orange Bowl season and drove away assistants and distanced some former players with that same ethic. And it came back to bite him.

Whether his KSU days were important to him or not is for Mangino to decide. Obviously they were or he wouldn't have bothered showing up. Your "ask his wife" comment is completely uncalled for.

Mangino did not "get the shaft" by KU. He failed to capitalize on the success of the 2007 season and the mess that was left over for the 2010 season is proof of poor recruiting and Mangino's abusive and abrasive attitude driving away good recruits and assistant coaches both. Did you ever wonder why Bill Young decided to make a change at 60+?

Mangino deserves credit for making that program competitive, but he also deserves criticism for failing to capitalize on that success. And for his abusive attitude.

My guess is that the reason Mangino hasn't landed assistant coaching at the major college (or even the pro level) since being ousted at KU has more to do with how he left KSU than how he was run out of town in Lawrence by a less-than-ethical A.D. who wanted him out before the bad season every began.

What he did to Snyder and the 'Cat program says a lot about character (or the lack thereof), and any head coach will consider the issue before hiring him. Snyder may not be the most popular coach in the world, but that doesn't mean he is a person deserving of what Mangino did (who then would laugh about it and joke about it when at OU in private conversations).

Coaches always hope their assistants are motivated to rise up through the ranks and work toward a head coach's job. It means they will work hard and always try to innovate and improve. However, there is a right way and a wrong way of doing it. Stabbing those who help you in the back and then walking over the body with a smile on your face is not the preferred or respectable method.